Plating ferrous metals.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HILLIABY ELDBIDGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

THE METALS PLATING COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PLATING rnnnous iuETALs.

1,197,616. No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HILLIARY Enoniocn, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Richmond, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plating Ferrous Metals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates broadly and gener ally to new and useful methods for coating or plating ferrous metals with copper, or other non-ferrous metal or metals, (that is to say, iron or steel, or alloys whose chief constitutent is iron) or alloys thereof, having less affinity for oxygen than ferrous metals, and to new and useful articles of manufacture produced thereby.

In proceeding according to my invention I subject the ferrous metal to be plated or coated while in surface contact with an oxid of the non-ferrous plating metal, to

' a temperature sufficient to convert the oxid of the lating metal into metal.

I now proceed to describe some of the various methods which may be employed carrying my invention into effect:

If it is desired to coat a body of ferrous metal with a plating of metallic copper, I may apply to the surface of the ferrous metal, say, sheet-iron, a thin coating of copper oxid, preferably cupric oxid (CuO). I may use cuprous oxid (Cu O), but prefer.

the cupric oxid as being cheaper and giving better results. This coating may be applied in a number of ways without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, but I prefer to apply it in the form of a mixture of cupric oxid with a suitable liquid vehicle which may be prepared by mixing equal parts by weight of the cupric oxid and water. This mixture may then be applied to theferrous body in any suitable way and as evenly as possible. The ferrous metal coated as above described, is then placed a furnace or muffie and subjected to a degree of heat sufficient to convert the copper oxid into copper. I have found that, in order to produce the best results,.the temperature to which the coated I metal is subjected, in the case ofcopper,

should be at or about the melting point of copper.

The ferrous metal withthe copper oxid Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3,

Patented Sept. 12, 1916. 1913. Serial No. 758,536.

coating is subjected to the degree of heat mentioned above until the desired reaction described takes place, after which the metal should be promptly removed from the furnace or muflie because further exposure to is approximately four (4) or five-(5) tov ten (10) seconds, and it will be understood that metal of less thickness will require a less time, and metal of greater thickness will require more time. It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact period stated, but give the same as one which will be proper for No. 30 sheet iron. Upon the'removal of the ferrous metal from thefurnace or muflie and cooling, said ferrous metal will be found to be covered with a closely adherent continuous plating of copper next thereto, which layer of copper is covered by a superposed continuous layer of oxid of iron. This la er of oxid of iron may be removed by a'suitable solvent (such as hot weak sulfuric acid, for example), or by exposing it to the action of a reducing 'gas, or by abrasion, or other suitable pro cedure.

The manner I have described above for coating the oxid of the non-ferrous metal suspended in a liquid onto the iron, is especially adapted to the plating of thin, fiat metal bodies, such as sheet iron or sheet steel. For applying the oxid of the non ferrous metal to heavy bodies, such as angle iron and structural iron and steel elements, I may apply the oxid of the coating metal to the ferrous body while the latter is in the furnace, by sifting the finely-divided copper oxid upon the body in any suitable manner. copper oxid is employed, the iron may first be heatedin the furnace to, say, 1100 to 1200 C. (that is, from a yellow to a beginning white heat), before the oxid is sifted thereon. Or, the iron, after being heated to the required temperature, may be withdrawn from the furnace and the copper oxid then sifted upon it. Under these circumstances the reaction may take place out- When this method of applying the side the furnace. If it does not take place outside the furnate, thebody should be returned to the furnace and heated.

In all of the examples given, it will be understood that in order to produce the best results, the duration during which the ferrous metal is subjected to a desired temperature, namely at or about the melting point of copper, is approximately from 4 or 5'seconds to seconds, but it will be understood that it may be less or greater, and that it must be long enough to allow the copper to be reduced and to adhere as a non-stripping plate to the surface of the While the methods of procedure described are particularly adapted for the plating of ferrous metal with copper, they can be advantageously used in coating ferrous metal with lead, or silver, or other metals having less affinity for oxygen than has iron. With these other plating metals, as with copper, the process should bi carried out at temperatures likewise as high as but not too far above the melting point of the oxid of the plating metal. I have also found that plating of alloys with superposed layer of .resulting oxid, may, in manners similar to those above described, be made upon the bodies of ferrous metal, as, for instance, I can apply a plating of bronze by using a mixture of cupric oxid (CuO), and tin oxid (SnO), in definite proportions to produce the desired bronze, or a plating of lead and copper may be produced.

at I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent of the United States is 1.. The method of plating ferrous metal, which consists in subjecting the same while in surface contact with an oxid of a metal having less afiinity for oxygen than has iron, to a temperature sufficient to effect reduction of the oxid to metal in a substantially continugus coating over the ferrous metal into a weld-like union therewith, and producing a coating of oxid of iron superposed on the plating metal, and subsequently removing the oxid of iron. 2. The method of plating ferrous metal, which consists in subjecting the same while insurface contact with an oxid of a metal having less afiinity for oxygen v than has iron, to a temperature approximating the melting point of the oxid for a period sufficient to effect reduction of the oxid to metal in a substantially continuous coating over the ferrous metal into a weld-like union therewith.

substantially continuous coating over the ferrous metal into a weld-like union therewith.

4. The method of plating ferrous metal with copper which consists in coating ferrous metal with an oxid of copper, and subjecting the same to heat at substantially the melting point of the oxid of copper until the iron reacts with the oxygen of the oxid to form a layer of metallic copper upon the Iron.

5.. The method of plating ferrous metal with copper, which consists in coating the ferrous metal with cupric oxid, and subjecting the same to heat at substantially the meltingpoint of said oxid until the iron react with the oxygen of the oxid to form a layer of metallic copper upon the iron. 6. The method of plating ferrous metal, which consists in applying to the ferrous metal a liquid coating in which is suspended an oxid of a metal having less affinity for oxygen than has iron, and subjecting the same to a temperature approximately the melting point of the oxid for a period sufli cient to effect reduction of the oxid to metal in a substantially continuous coating over the ferrous metal into a weld-like union therewith.

7. The method of plating ferrous metal,

which consists in coating the same with an oxid of a metal having less aflinity for oxygen than has iron, and subsequently subjecting the coated ferrous inetal to a temperature suflicient t efl'ect reduction of the oxid bstantially continuous coat-' HILLIARY ELDRIDGE.

Witnesses: W. S. Rooxnr,

GEORGE C. HALL. 

